Matt Vande Bunte | mvandebu@mlive.comEast Hills Council of Neighbors, with support from Grand Rapids Public Schools, wants to add the 91-year-old Congress School building at 940 Baldwin St. SE into an historic district.

GRAND RAPIDS – A neighborhood association is seeking historic designation for a prominent Southeast side building, while urging residents to build ties with the school that operates there.

East Hills Council of Neighbors wants Grand Rapids to form a study committee to explore whether Congress School, 940 Baldwin St. SE, should be included in the Fairmount Square Historic District. The city’s Historic Preservation Commission was set to discuss the request Wednesday.

Also, the neighborhood group funded with federal grant money is planning an open house to increase awareness of Congress among residents unfamiliar with the school.

“We really want to make this our No. 1 focus,” said Claire Fisher, interim community organizer for the East Hills Council, which has an office at 131 Eastern Ave. SE. “We feel it’s the most important asset to our community.”

The council plans a “meet and greet” with Congress Principal Bridget Cheney from 6-7:30 p.m. Feb. 16 in the school’s library. Visitors can take tours of the building erected in 1921.

IF YOU GO

Get to know Congress School

What: open house organized by East Hills Council of Neighbors

When: 6-7:30 p.m. Feb. 16

Where: Congress School, 940 Baldwin St. SE

Who: meet and greet with Principal Bridget Cheney and other school staff

Fisher has taken over for the council's longtime organizer, K.C. Caliendo, whom she said is on “sabbatical” to help a daughter with a new baby in Chicago. The council also has an interim program coordinator, Mark Rumsey.

The council functions as a liaison between the city and residents in an area bordered by Fuller and Union avenues, and by Fulton and Wealthy streets. Building ties with Congress School is a top priority, Fisher said.

For example, the council is compiling a list of volunteers willing to tutor at the school, provide supplies or help with landscaping. The goal is to keep the school a vital part of the neighborhood, Fisher said.

“Having a school (that kids can walk to) is so important to our neighborhood,” she said. “We want to encourage people to send their children to Congress. It builds community to have your kids go to the community school.”

Cory Morse | The Grand Rapids PressU.S. Sen. Carl Levin last fall got to know some students and staff at Congress School, including Principal Bridget Cheney. An upcoming open house aims to get more people familiar with the school at 940 Baldwin St. SE.

A decade ago, the council was part of a “Save Congress School” campaign when Grand Rapids Public Schools considered closing the school. Historic designation now could ensure the building remains as it looks today.

If the city forms a committee to explore the school building’s historical merit, it would take about a year to complete the research, Baker said. City Commission likely will consider forming a committee in the coming weeks, she said.

“The only significant alteration has been the removal of the original windows,” Grand Rapids schools Superintendent Teresa Weatherall Neal wrote to the historic preservation commission. “It is an excellent representation of the era it was built in, and it would be a tragedy to lose this historic landmark.”